What’s Your Legacy?
By Felicia Davis, President & CEO of Chicago Foundation for Women
“What kind of ancestor do you want to be?” It’s one of my favorite probing questions, especially for those doing the hard work of addressing injustices and righting the world. It’s this question that I had the honor of asking Stacey Abrams, the keynote speaker at CFW’s 36th Annual Luncheon, earlier this month.
The question elicited a collective sigh of wonder from our guests in the room. Ms. Abrams’ response, partially quoted below, connected with me on a very personal level.
“I want to be someone that, when my progeny think of me, they think of someone who was resilient, who was ambitious, who was powerful. And not powerful in a way that gets dismissed as being self-aggrandizing, but powerful in a way that I was willing to do whatever I could to, not only hold power, but to share it. That I was so ambitious that I refused to believe that no was the only answer, and that I was resilient enough to listen to people tell me how little I mattered and how hard I would fail and try anyway. If they believe I am resilient if they believe I was ambitious, and if the power that I hold that I borrow from my ancestors and bequeath to them, if they believe that power is real, then I would have done my job.” — Stacey Abrams
As I reflect on my own legacy and think of the kind of ancestor I want to be, I immediately think of my own mother and my children. For my children, it’s the hope and belief that what they carry with them from me, and the things their father and I instilled in them are instrumental in shaping their own unique futures. As parents, sometimes it isn’t easy to see the impact you’re having on your children, but let me tell you, they are watching and listening. They see the sacrifices, they learn from your dedication, and they model it. I witnessed my mom go back to school later in life, and without child care, my siblings and I had to come along. Today, the determination my mother showed us is a cornerstone for my belief that it’s never too late to achieve your goals.
As Ms. Abrams pointed out, that power is real. That power impacts the lives of those we haven’t even met yet. Just as I think of the type of ancestor I will be, I think of what legacy I may leave behind. I strive to leave a legacy of faith, love, respect, resiliency, and ambition.
When I consider CFW’s legacy, I immediately consider Lucia Woods Lindley, one of CFW’s Founding Mothers, who passed away this past December. Lucia was a very private person, one who stayed out of the limelight but dedicated significant resources to fund solutions to barriers facing women and girls in a time when doing so was nearly unheard of. It was Lucia’s Sophia Fund that planted the seeds for what eventually became CFW. Her radical commitment to women’s issues rallied other like-minded individuals, ultimately filling a tremendous void in Chicago’s philanthropic landscape that is still as critical today as it was 36 years ago.
In remembering Lucia at our Luncheon, Sunny Fischer and Iris Krieg, two of CFW’s founders, spoke about Lucia’s commitment “to enhance women’s lives for the benefit of all.” Lucia’s generosity will continue to impact Chicago area women in the form of a ten-million-dollar bequest, the largest in CFW’s history. This transformational investment will support CFW’s current and future work as we move toward an equitable SHEcovery™ in response to the ongoing pandemic and its subsequent impacts. As an invested fund of the Foundation, this gift ensures that Lucia will be impacting women and girls for generations to come.
In Lucia’s honor, CFW will rename its Legacy Circle to the Sophia Society. The Sophia Society recognizes those who have chosen to leave a lasting charitable legacy with CFW by including the Foundation in their estate plan. Lucia’s legacy will continue to encourage others, especially women, to invest in women and girls for the journey ahead.
With these two resilient, ambitious, generous, and inspiring women as examples, it’s up to us to think about the kind of ancestors we want to be and the legacy we leave behind.
A version of this article was originally published as part of Chicago Foundation for Women’s “GoWomen” Monthly Newsletter which you can read here.
